This Blog Post Is Not Safe For Work (NSFW)

Reading this on your work computer? I suggest switching over to your smart phone. You may not want HR to know what you’re reading about here.

There’s No Team In I

If you’ve made it to this website, you’re probably devising a plan similar to mine. You work a full-time a job. You live below your means. You save your money and invest. You calculate that if you keep doing these things aggressively and consistently over time, you’ll reach financial independence, hopefully before a conventional retirement age.

You’d rather wake up and do nothing than commute to an office and work for a paycheck well into your 50’s or 60’s.

When you’re at work, you sneak peaks at your smart phone to identify undervalued stocks or investment properties when you should be preparing for the next meeting or assembling your weekly TPS reports.

Or maybe during the day you create elaborate spreadsheets that look like work, but are actually forecasting models of your grand retirement scheme. You modify, stare at, and recalculate these big spreadsheets day after day, hoping for some new revelation to help you retire even earlier. Somehow you still manage to finish the real work assigned to you.

You’re always thinking, what steps can I take today so I don’t need this job tomorrow.

These are not traits of an exemplary employee. Management wants to see 100% focus on the tasks at hand, robust team building, streamlined process efficiency, and efforts above and beyond your job description. The best managers want you to do their job for them, so of course they want you to be dedicated.

I work 40+ hours a week for a small information technology services company. The company is so-so. But my long-term project is fairly interesting, more than tolerable, and my direct manager allows for a good work/life balance. I lead a couple groups of employees and most of them are cool and don’t require much attention. A few others are toxic, but I deal with it. I don’t love my job. I like my job.

But I have a confession to make.

My goal is not to make the owner more money or to make the customer happy. Everything I do at work is for one purpose… to make as much money for my family as possible. Satisfaction doesn’t come from collaborating on successful projects with a team, learning new skills, exceeding the customer’s expectations or impressing my manager. Not one bit. Satisfaction arrives every other Friday in my bank account.

I’m constantly analyzing my career. At this point and for the past decade, I’ve determined that my current job is the path of least resistance to financial independence. The job provides enough income to allow my wife to stay at home. It provides the flexibility to be home early each day and ever-present in my kids’ lives. And it provides enough income to live comfortably, save money for early retirement, and save for the kids’ college education. Considering the big picture, it’s a good work/life balance for me.

How To Maximize Earnings at Your Job

Despite my secret plan to stop working and concealed cynical attitude, I’m an exemplary employee. I make my company lots of money by creating new business. The customer loves me and gives the company more business because of it. I get promotions, raises, high praise, and I even work well with other team members. I’m friendly, and pretend to care about the long-term success of our organization.

But it’s mostly a facade.

Having a good attitude and performing at a high level is the best way to earn more money. That’s my thinking.

Now someone in the comments section might say,“RBD, maybe you just haven’t found your true calling. Find a job you love and never work a day”. That’s wisdom taken from the oft-quoted Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who was alive 2,500 years ago. I frankly don’t think this advice applies to the vast majority of people in today’s modern world.

Around the globe people have some shitty jobs. In the US we have it better than most countries, but that doesn’t mean we all love our jobs. For those of us that don’t have the perfect job, we shouldn’t necessarily quit to pursue our one true calling.

Do the two million plus Walmart employees work there because they love it? I’m sure it’s tolerable and provides some needed income, but something to be passionate about?

There must some jobs with high satisfaction rates. So I googled “careers with high job satisfaction rates” and a bunch of lists came up. Across the lists, some of the top careers include fire fighters, physical therapists, teachers, clergy and coaches.

Before reading the lists I guessed the most satisfied would be successful entrepreneurs who are passionate about what they do, or pet rescue employees who work out of love for animals. Certain professionals like doctors hopefully have a high job satisfaction rate, and some of them do make the lists I saw. I know some full-time bloggers and writers that love their work.

The truth is the vast majority of people in this world work out of necessity, not because they love the work. Most that do love their work, don’t get rich doing it. Finding the perfect balance is rare. If you have, congratulations. But I’m curious, would you keep working if you were given $1 million dollars tax free?

What Would You Do If You Were Given $1 Million Dollars (nsfw)?

Look no further than the 1999 movie Office Space for inspiration:

Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?Lawrence: I’ll tell you what I’d do, man: two chicks at the same time, man.Peter Gibbons: That’s it? If you had a million dollars, you’d do two chicks at the same time?Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I had a million dollars I could hook that up, ’cause chicks dig a dude with money.Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.Lawrence: Well the kind of chicks that’d double up on a dude like me do.Peter Gibbons: Good point.Lawrence: Well what about you now? What would you do?Peter Gibbons: Besides two chicks at the same time?Lawrence: Well yeah.Peter Gibbons: Nothing.Lawrence: Nothing, huh?Peter Gibbons: I’d relax, I would sit on my ass all day, I would do nothing.Lawrence: Well you don’t need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Just take a look at my cousin, he’s broke, don’t do shit.

Though I admire both answers above, my response would be rather mundane. It would entail some combination of paying off mortgages, investing in stocks and real estate, and going on a few extended international excursions. I probably wouldn’t quit my day job right away, but I wouldn’t last much longer. $1 million dollars on top of what I have today is enough. But I’d probably take at least a year to decide what to do.

The Things I Want to Do Most Do Not Make Good Careers

I love spending time with my family more than anything. I’ll never get paid cash for that.

I like to take naps on the beach, preferably under shady trees.

Eating out, fishing, reading, swimming, skiing, drinking beer with friends, watching TV and doing puzzles… these are things I enjoy more than my full-time job. Maybe I could manufacture a career out of one of these activities. But I like to do them all. I couldn’t pick just one.

Take skiing, for example. I don’t ski much now, but I plan to more when my kids are the right age. What about skiing as a career? I’m too old for a competitive career, that’s for sure. Not that training to be a professional skier would be fun, or that I’m competitive, or a good enough skier. I suppose I could teach skiing, or operate a lift and get a free ski pass for the season. Sure that would be fun, if I didn’t want to pay for my kids’ college education, or didn’t like the beach too.

There’s plenty of careers in the travel industry. But the ones that pay well probably don’t involve traveling.

I know a travel agent who quit her previous career to work in the field that she loves. But guess what? It turns out being a travel agent is more about selling trips than it is about travel. 95% of the work she does involves finding clients. Then she books them on trips so they can travel, not her.

Travel booking is one of those professions where 20% of the agents make 80% of the dough. But those 20% aren’t sitting under a palm tree in Punta Cana six months out of the year. They’re hustling. Working in the travel industry must have some perks if you put in your time and become successful. But frankly, why not skip the work part and buy the perks with money earned at a career that pays better?

Why I Blog Anonymously

A big part of why I started Retire Before Dad was to fill a void that my career does not satisfy. Money and financial planning is another favorite hobby of mine. I interned with Merrill Lynch in college and seriously considered changing careers into financial advisement a few times over the years. But I’ve opted to keep building a career in IT because it’s the more predictable way to grow my income.

You won’t see my name and picture on this website. I don’t want my boss and coworkers to know how much I think about leaving them. Openly writing to the online world about how to end a career does not translate well into promotions or higher pay, so I keep it quiet. My colleagues probably wouldn’t talk to me about their retirement planning woes if they knew I wrote about them here.

So I don’t share this stuff with my company or coworkers. When they complain about the loan on their $45,000 SUV they can’t afford, or the fact they’ll be working until age 67, I keep my mouth shut.

Have you found the perfect career for you? Are you on the path of least resistance? How does work/life balance play into your career? Is your boss onto you?

About Retire Before Dad

I’m a 41-year-old investor based in the Washington, DC area. My plan is to retire at age 55, one year before my Dad retired. I track my progress towards financial independence using a free and recommended tool called Personal Capital.
My first love is my beautiful wife and three kids. My second love is travel. Combining both in early retirement is the ultimate goal and my primary motivation for financial independence. Read my complete story HERE.

41 Responses to This Blog Post Is Not Safe For Work (NSFW)

Like yourself, I would probably continue working for a period of time while I took the time to consider my plans and figure out exactly how I’d get that money to work for me. I think in the end, I’d likely move on to other endeavors, especially after setting things up to generate some additional income while eliminating some monthly obligations (mortgage).

It appears you have found and published my manifesto. I work hard, take some OT, live below my means and save for my retirement and my two sons college education. I enjoy my job, who wouldn’t have fun running 4 big ass high pressure boilers in a powerplant? It sure isn’t my passion though.

I long for financial independence. My coworkers think that means being straight up rich, owning a G6 and a huge house and fancy cars. I’ve given up on convincing them that isn’t what it means. I did get 3 of them investing for retirement but the rest don’t and won’t get it.

One day, hopefully not too far off, I’ll have the most awesome raspberry bushes and all day long to lay in my hammock sipping whisky old enough to vote. Your blog is helping me get there. Thanks.

JCulley,
Thanks for your comments. I’m glad to hear this resonates with readers. If anything is going to stand in our way of independence, it’s our commitment to paying for college. I ran some numbers the other day and they are intimidating.

That’s awesome you work in a power plant. I used to live near a coal plant and they took the neighbors for a tour inside. I got to see some big equipment. It was old though. Reminded me of the ‘hatch’ in the TV show Lost, if you’ve seen it. Very cool.

Raspberries and old whiskey, simple pleasures to work toward. Nice.
-RBD

I’m writing this from my smartphone while I’m at work! I’m very guilty of working on my retirement forecasting spreadsheets to plan my eventual escape from the cube. I usually have a work spreadsheet open at the same time just in case someone walks by my cube. Fingers on ALT and Tab so I can switch files in an instant. Pathetic, I know. I spend way to much time daydreaming of more exciting things while at work. I used to have a facade on while at work but I’ve realized I can go through the same motions for very much longer. Currently working on shifting careers from corporate accounting to financial planning this year though. And for that $1 million: pay off the mortgage, spend some on travel, and invest the rest. Nothing to fancy.

LA,
Accounting is one of those professions a lot of people can’t take for too long. I know a few that quit after a year! Engineers seems to start blogs a lot about leaving that field too. Good luck switching over to financial planning. I considered a CFP, but I was too deep into my IT career and the pay cut would have been too big while building the FP career. A big raise pretty much ended that idea. And I’m perfectly happy with that decision. This blog is now my outlet, along with all the spreadsheets. Thanks for stopping by!
-RBD

Good point about not sharing this blog with your co-workers. That’s something I try not to talk about at work either. While people talk about mortgage, loans, leverages, etc I just keep my mouth shut and listen… even though sometimes I know more than whoever’s talking. 🙂

Tawcan,
I hear ya. I bite my tongue a lot at work when it comes to personal life. I’m younger than a lot of the people too, so talking about retirement would confuse them as it’s only a greater than 50 aged person topic. They NEVER know what they’re talking about. I hear some terrible advice being passed around at work!
-RBD

Wonderful post RBD. Like you said above, I fall into the non-model employee trying to make my company the most money and work till I’m 65. Almost everyday I have my retirement spreadsheets open running calculations updating dividends or inputting my expenses and “looking” busy. However, I do like my job. My commute is 10 min, the work is easy, the schedule is flexible and best of all, it pays well. I overhear my colleagues talking about retirement and they are 60 years old saying how they still have 5-10 years before they feel comfortable retiring. I can’t wait to walk in one day and tell my boss “I’m retiring!” … at 45 or before. Lets hope it all works out that way.

ADD,
Thanks for the kudos. 10 minutes is a great commute. Flexibility is becoming really important. When the job market really starts to crank, work/life balance should improve for everyone. 45 is an ambitious goal, but definitely attainable!
-RBD

I feel your pain. I shared the same “smile even though I hate it here” strategy for years while I was in the auto industry. It was also my path of least resistance. Fortunately, I found a path out and haven’t looked back since. I’ve figured out through the process that sometimes the path of just a little more resistance yields much better results.

“Eating out, fishing, reading, swimming, skiing, drinking beer with friends, watching TV and doing puzzles… these are things I enjoy more than my full-time job. Maybe I could manufacture a career out of one of these activities. But I like to do them all. I couldn’t pick just one.”

I don’t think you need to pick just one. I have a lot of personal interests. I was able to monetize just one of them (writing) which has allowed me even more time and energy to enjoy the rest, which I can continue doing without concerns as to how to make money from them. I don’t look at hobbies in terms of monetizing them. I just look at how to be as happy as I possibly can every single day. I’ve just found that being able to intersect a personal interest and income as a great way to accomplish that.

DM,
I wouldn’t call it pain as I do like what I do and I don’t hate it. My job is an engine to keep me moving in the right direction and fund the future for me and my family. It’s a good balance for where I am in life right now with young kids.

As for the hobbies, I wanted make the point that simply following what you love to do into a career is not always the best path, even though that is often recommended. It is awesome that has worked for you and that is inspirational to others. But I’ve determined that following my passions into a career has not been the best decision over time. Doesn’t mean I’m not living my dream, and I think a lot of others are in the same boat. I’ve found a middle ground that has led to happiness.

I’m curious, when you were still working in the car dealership, how did your coworkers view your desire to leave, since you were open about it? Any negative impact on your position there?
-RBD

Mike,
30k would not be enough for me. I’d go with real estate for better returns along with some dividends. The cost to switch to a new job holds me back. Also in my industry, there’s a risk to getting on a bad team or working with a bad manager. Since I have it good now, I don’t want to end up on a bad or poorly funded project. Thanks for your comments!
-RBD

I’ve thought about changing careers multiple times, but the ole “golden handcuffs” convince me not to. I’m in the same boat where trying to change careers at this point would more likely than not slow down my quest for financial independence. If I had the million dollars, I don’t think I would change much at all. I’d obviously put it to work (Vanguard index funds, maybe some dividend paying stocks, and maybe some real estate), and other than that I’d just chop off a good 10 years on my FI date.

FF,
Real estate takes more effort, but can easily beat dividend income yields with the right property. I think I’d buy a lot of rentals and manage them. Though I couldn’t travel as much so I’d eventually hire someone to do it.
-RBD

I am going to have to bookmark this post. It hits home for me like many others. Like you I view my day job as a means to an end. I wouldn’t say I hate work, but it certainly isn’t my passion. The fact that it is my quickest path to FI is what keeps me on this path and I will take advantage of every opportunity to advance and get to my destination as soon as possible.

MDP,
Definitely in the same boat. Just read your latest post. The fact your house is paid for is huge. That’s one of my biggest obstacles, along with paying for college. I still manage to save about 50% of my income per month, but it needs to be better.
-RBD

I have definitely created elaborate spreadsheets that could potentially look like work but they were financial projections as to when I could potentially retire or what I would need to be financially independent.

My job is pretty similar to yours, software development, I don’t care for it, but it’s the path of least resistance. It pays me the most for my time so that I hopefully won’t have to spend as much time working.

I always imagined what I would do after I finished my working career. If I had a million dollars tax free I would invest it. But if I had 5 or 10 million dollars I would probably try opening an art gallery. I would imagine it might take a year or 2 for it to pay for itself or potentially just go under so I wouldn’t want to sink all my money into it to potentially watch it fail (hence wanting more than a million to do that path).

But I would probably volunteer or try to get a part time job doing something like animal socializing at an animal shelter. If I no longer needed the money then I wouldn’t really care about the pay, it’s more for keeping me entertained and happy with what I do. But only part time at most, I have this belief that once you start having to come in 40 hours a week to do something it starts to feel less voluntary and more like a job that you don’t want to do that much.

W2NW,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. $5, $10, $100 million are all very different scenarios. $1 million really isn’t that much anymore. Winning the Powerball or something like that opens a whole new realm of ideas. Fun ideas, not practical!

Computer science is a good career path because the need for us has been growing for many years. I see it becoming commoditized in some areas (out-sourcing for example), but for the most part we’re dealing with bigger and more useful data. Most expect the field to grow well into my retirement.

It’s no secret that I would travel if I had more time and money. But a big part of my retirement plan involves my kids. I want them to have a normal and stable upbringing for the most part. I wouldn’t take them traveling full-time while they are young. Some people are out there doing that, and I commend them. Someday we’d like to take summers off to travel as a family. It’s going to take a lot more money to be comfortable doing that. But in the IT world, it’s possible since there’s so many short-term and hourly opportunities. Not to mention remote work.

Josh,
Glad to hear I’m not alone! Obviously not everyone loves their jobs. I hear about people quitting jobs to chase a dream, and often the dream falls flat and they regret leaving. In fact, one guy I interviewed the other day left a job at a 10 year career at an extraordinarily good company to pursue something different opportunity. It didn’t pan out and he’s been unemployed for a year. We always hear about the success stories, but never the failures, which are undoubtedly more frequent.
-RBD

$1 Million and I would retire… although hopefully that would be after taxes… although if that is before taxes, maybe I’d retire next year 🙂

I totally get your reasons – they are the same as mine. I just wish I had started planning for an ER earlier. I don’t think I was really motivated until I had kids and realized how much of their lives I am missing because of the job. And I like my job. I don’t love it, but it is nice and pays well, so it isn’t the driving force for ER. Honestly, I think if I could work part time, have a minimal commute, and not live in Houston, I would be fine working for much, much longer…

MRSSSC,
With 2 young kids, I find myself chugging coffee most of the time. I wish I could do it your way more often.

We all wish we had started earlier. I was thinking the right way when I was 18, and started saving early. But the urgency didn’t hit until after I returned from traveling and was mostly broke. Maybe it’s something about being broke (or having kids) that is a good motivator.

We have been retired nearly 10 years and I have to say the best thing is not having to work. That seems obvious but what that means is that yes, we wake up and don’t have to do anything. Beyond the occasional doctor’s appointment, or a plan to get groceries and run errands on a certain day, we have no schedule. We don’t “have” to do anything. we don’t want to do. It is so much better than work, even if the work is something you enjoyed doing. There is a reason it is called work.

Kathy,
I admire you. Congratulations on your 10 years of retirement (so far). My Dad talks the same way. He doesn’t miss work at all. He works in the yard, but doesn’t call it that. He chooses to do that because he enjoys it. Sounds like you have it all figured out!
-RBD

I think we may be brothers from a different mother. I can resonate with a lot of you post.

However I would point out that its great that you are interested in so many things. I personally believe that we are living in a time that gives rise once again to the Renaissance man (multi-passionate man).

There is evidence all over the web that says you can monetize just about anything. You just have to be willing to put in the work, which most people won’t do.

GYFG,
Maybe we are! I do think you are right about being able to monetize just about anything, if you are willing to put in the time. My interests do vary, but at this point I’m focused on earning as much as possible doing what I have done the past decade. If I see a better path, I’ll switch. I see that as a possibility some time before my planned retirement age. Maybe I’ll be able to do something different at 48 or 50, and still make good money. Who knows!
Thanks for your comment.
-RBD

“You modify, stare at, and recalculate these big spreadsheets day after day, hoping for some new revelation to help you retire even earlier.”

Have you been taking screenshots of my work PC? A week does not go by that I am tinkering with my “retirement” spreadsheet at my workplace. My theoretical projections nag me to start taking public transportation, cut cable and start a side-hustle, if I want to “retire” even earlier.

I love that movie (there is a red stapler on my desk) and often think about it since discovering FIRE. We still have a long ways to go because of our debt, but I’m taking a similar approach with work. I try to be a great employee to earn more money, but am keeping my the true objectives under wraps.

You mentioned that you feel like your job provides decent balance right now, but I just posted about my belief that there is no real “work-life balance” until you’re living and working according to your own terms. Don’t you agree that the purpose behind early retirement is to have time to enjoy life before standard retirement age?

Harmony,
Classic movie for sure. I often come back to “I would do nothing” as a motivator and I’ve been meaning to work that into a post. Then I came across the exact dialog and it really made me laugh again. I used to watch the movie a lot.

I think there is plenty of room for work/life balance. Some people do enjoy their careers and plan to work longer than they need to. I’m not one of those people. But my job is good, and it pays well. It allows me to spend tons of time with my family and pay for things we need and want, all while saving a big chunk for retirement. I also lived free and independently in my 20’s when I traveled. I got the vagabond lifestyle out of my system. Now I have no regrets about my 20’s and I’m quite happy raising kids and working a job. I know some people that started families early and totally missed out on their 20’s, and they mention it every time they have a few drinks!
-RBD

Holy god, this post reads like something I’ve written myself, totally resonates. It’s not that we hate our jobs — many of us feel fortunate to be doing them, and take pride in the quality of work. But that being said, we would not do them for any reason other than money — there are better/other ways to use our time on Earth, such as napping or aimlessly flicking marbles against a blank wall. At some point, trading your time for cash is no longer worth it, assuming you’ve been diligently stashing away.

LivaFI,
Thanks for the comments, I was really hoping this post would strike a chord with others. I figured most of us must feel this way. If we really hated a jobs we’d find another. Part this post was a result of reading too many “follow your dreams” or “find a job you love and never work a day” type quotes on Twitter and elsewhere. Sounds great, but a bit too idealistic. I’m sure some people get to that point, but most don’t. And dropping everything to start a new career or pursuit is not always the responsible move.
-RBD

I have a relatively crappy job (customer service via email) but it’s pretty easy. I also have an amazing boss, so it’s hard to complain. I still do, but it’s harder than at most jobs. And I’m complaining about the customers, not the company.

I suppose my goal is also to make the company a ton of money. This keeps me getting raises (seriously, I’m completely overpaid for what I do), which will let us live more comfortably in later years. I’m not sure that I’ll ever retire completely. I’m addicted to paychecks. You’d be too if you had to live on disability for a number of years. That said, I’d love to go down to part-time at some point. Or at least take more vacations. Can’t do that unless I keep my job (and those raises).

Nick,
Thanks. I admit to working spreadsheets at previous temp jobs I’ve had. The one I’m in now that’s a little tougher. I might run a mortgage calculator or two, but I save the elaborate stuff for home!
-RBD

I just started my road to retirement / financial independence myself! I’m 21 and hoping I can get there as soon as possible. Not quite sure what I’d do about work since I currently do enjoy my job in IT. However I’ve only been a full-time worker for one year! I look forward to reading more of your blog, this was a relatable post. I agree with the point about knowing when to really retire and committing to the date you can do it 100%.

DB,
Starting as early as you are, you have a good chance of reaching an early retirement goal. But don’t forget to stop and smell the roses while you’re young. Good luck with your dividend investing and new blog.
-RBD

Retirement I’ve heard can predispose a person to heart attacks. And self-esteem is somewhat related to being a useful member of society. Maybe semi-retirement. I’m 60 and haven’t found a career I like, nor have I begun to save for a rainy day or for impending mental/physical handicaps.

Anthony,
Thanks for you input. Most of my readers are early to mid career. I know of workers your age and older that seem quite happy continuing to work full time. though it usually seems out of necessity, since they all talk about retirement. I don’t know what the science says, but I’ll be exercising more when I retire, and eating better. My Dad retired at 56 and he’s been plenty happy gardening, golfing regularly, and doing a lot of what he used to do. He’s never missed working or regretted retirement. TO each his own. I see wealthy individuals on CNBC all the time that are well into their 70’s and they keep working, even though they could easily stop. Some people have that mentality I guess. For me, I know of a huge number of things that would keep me busy, happy, and a positive contributor to society when I retire, so I’m not worry about self-esteem.

Semi-retirement does seem appealing to me prior to age 55, and sounds like it’s probably the right move for some people who don’t want to leave working entirely. I’ve had a few landlords that considered themselves semi-retired.
-RBD

Disclaimer/Disclosure

The owner of this web site is not a financial adviser, tax professional, or investment professional. Investment and retirement planning activities described on this website are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. Do not make investment decisions based on information found here alone. The owner makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information or comments on this site, or found by following any link on this site. Consult a financial adviser for questions regarding your own situation. I am not liable for any losses suffered by any parties.
Some content on this website may contain affiliate links. If these links are clicked upon and information is submitted, the owner of this website may be compensated at no additional cost to the reader.
This website also contains advertising provided by a third party. Ads displayed do not equal endorsement, and the owner makes no claims to the accuracy or validity of the ads.